Changes
by LorelaiSquared
Summary: Several scenarios for why Kate's [spoiler] is different in the pictures that surfaced today.
1. Scenario One: Not You

**A/N: **In light of the pictures that surfaced today. I felt the need to do a little explanation ficlet. Only I thought of more than one scenario and I couldn't choose between them so I wrote both. I'll post each one as a different chapter but they're not actually connected.

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Scenario One: Not You

Lanie and Alexis stood in the living room of the loft waiting as Kate changed. Castle was out for the day and it was the first chance they'd had for Kate to show Lanie her wedding dress.

"You've seen it already, right?" Lanie whispered to Alexis.

The younger girl bit her bottom lip and nodded causing Lanie's eyes to sharpen immediately.

"What aren't you telling me?" Lanie hissed.

"I… It's…" Alexis's eyes widened as her attention shifted to something over Lanie's shoulder. "Kate."

Lanie spun around, her gaze travelling over her friend and suddenly Alexis's hesitance made sense. The top of the dress was fine, but the skirt was… more gruesome than half the things that came across her operating table.

"So, what do you think?" Kate asked, a smile dancing across her face as she spun to show off the back.

"It's uh…" Lanie cast a glance at Alexis who shrugged. "I like the stitching on the sleeves."

Kate stilled, her face becoming passive even as her eyes sharpened, always the detective. "You don't like it."

Lanie didn't want to hurt her friends feelings but there was no way she could let her best friend walk down the aisle in that monstrosity. Besides, she had always prided herself on being honest and this was not the time to stop. "Honestly? Kate, it's a fine dress, but it's just not _you_. "

Her friend looked down, regarding herself carefully. "Don't you think Castle will like it?"

"Girl, that man would have stars in his eyes even if you walked down that aisle in a garbage bag, but this isn't just about him. This is your day. Your one and done. Is this really the dress you want to get married in?"

"Maybe. I thought so but…"

"But?" Lanie prompted.

Kate sighed. "The skirt's a bit too…runway." Kate ran her hand over the panel in the front. "It looks like I've been cut in two."

Lanie laughed. "Kate, did you even try on any other dresses?"

"I…" Kate frowned. "Actually no."

Lanie gently shoved her towards the bedroom. "Tell you what. You go get changed and then the three of us will go shopping. If we don't find anything you love more than this, fine, but I think you owe it to yourself to be sure."

Kate looked over to Alexis who had retreated to the couch while they'd been talking. "Is that okay with you, Alexis?"

"Yes. Definitely." Her eyes were bright and happy at the thought of being included in something so important.

"Okay." Kate agreed. "I guess we're going wedding dress shopping."


	2. Scenario Two: Surprises

**A/N: **Reminder. This is not a continuation of the last chapter but is a separate scenario for why Kate decided to change her wedding dress.

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Scenario Two: Surprises

Kate stood alone in the living room of the loft, pacing impatiently and pausing every few laps to glare at the door as though doing so would make Castle magically materialize. Of all the nights for him to get home later than her. Of all the nights for—

A key rattling in the lock caused both her thoughts and pacing to stop. Kate's breath hitched as she turned back towards the door, hoping against hope that is was her fiancé and not his mother or his daughter. Not that she didn't love Martha and Alexis. She did. They were practically family now, but she needed to talk to Castle and this wasn't really a conversation she wanted to have in front of an audience.

"Kate!" Castle exclaimed as the door burst open, his smile wide. "You're home earlier than I thought you would be."

Kate felt her entire body relax. He was here. Finally. She ignored the voice in her head that reminded her she'd been waiting for less than twenty minutes and instead responded to Castle. "Yeah, I had an appointment so I left the precinct early and since we didn't have a case I came right home afterward."

Castle finished hanging up his jacket as she spoke and turned to study her shrewdly. "You've been pacing."

Kate blinked. How the hell could he tell?

He raised an eyebrow knowingly as he strode towards her and answered her unspoken question. "Your back is straight, your shoulders raised and I can practically see the path of your feet on the area rug. Besides, you always pace when your anxious or nervous and I can tell from the way you're chewing on your bottom lip that something has you worked up." He placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "What is it Kate? Was there a new break in your mother's case?"

Kate shook her head and tried not to grin. How this man had come to know her so well was beyond her but she wouldn't have it any other way. "Let's sit down." Kate settled herself on the couch and waited until Castle was seated facing her, their legs entwined.

"If it's not about your mom, what's going on? You look worried." His voice was soft and tender and something about it made Kate feel more solid than she'd felt since leaving the doctor's office an hour earlier.

She took a deep breath. "I…" She'd practiced at least a dozen times in her head when she'd been pacing, but now that he was here in front of her, the words didn't seem to want to come. She closed her eyes and tried again. "I went to see my doctor today because—"

Castle squeezed her hand. When had he taken it? It didn't matter. She squeezed back, the contact giving her courage and she opened her eyes to meet his intense gaze as she continued.

"—- I was late and I've been feeling unusually tired and achy lately so I thought —"

"Kate," Castle interrupted, his voice rough with emotion. "Are you trying to tell me that you're pregnant?"

Kate nodded. "I know we haven't really talked about kids yet and the timing isn't exactly perfect but we are getting married soon and —"

Castle was suddenly crowding her space and pulling her against him, his mouth swallowing her words as he engulfed her in a kiss that managed to be both achingly tender and scaldingly passionate. When he pulled away, his face was bright, a wide grin stretched across his features. "We're going to have a baby."

Kate kissed the upturn of his mouth. "Yes. We are." She froze, a thought suddenly occurring to her. "I'm gonna need a new dress."

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**A/N: **There's a small chance there will be a third, slightly longer scenario but I'm not promising so for now I'm marking this as complete.


End file.
